To Be a Villain
by khluv97
Summary: Vanitas is a Villain in training, fed only on anger, hate, jealousy, fear, and table scraps. All he wants is to be loved, but with Ventus in the way that can never happen. Warning! Contains Graphic Language, yaoi, and dark themes! Don't like don't read!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (If I did Riku would never get to sleep or wear a shirt) nor do I own any songs mentioned in my story. This will contain graphic language only to portray the rage and hate of Vanitas (will not use unnecessarily) as well as yaoi (boyxboy) in later chapters. So if you do not like do not read. I will not respond to any hateful comments over these subjects.

Vanitas stood, panting, amongst the bodies of unversed as the slowly began to vanish, having slaughtered them brutally. He snarled as he put his keyblade away and wiped the sweat from his brow and turned off Hell Yeah by Rev Theory. As he yanked the earbuds from his ears he heard a faint clapping and turned to see Xehenort watching him train. He motioned for Vanitas to come and Vanitas grit his teeth as he approached his master.

"Yes Master?" He said, fists clenched. He had learned many times what speaking his mind would earn him: a severe beating.

Xehenort smiled sickeningly at his apprentice, "Not bad out there, not as good as Ventus, but you're getting better," He said in his rattling voice.

"Well maybe, Master," Vanitas clenched his jaw, begging his mouth to stop, but it continued speaking through lips alone, "If I got a good night's sleep and decent food, I could fight harder." There it was, he had said it, and he was going to pay dearly for it.

To Vanitas' surprise, no pain made contact with his body. Instead Xehenort just nodded.

"Go inside, beat Ventus tomorrow and you can have his supper," He said.

Vanitas was confused but went inside the castle anyway, he saw Ventus lazing on the couch with earbuds in. Probably listening to something stupid and happy like he was. His... what the hell was he? They weren't brothers... not clones... just two halves of a whole... eh, who cares what they are to eachother, Vanitas sure didn't, he'd just say brother for the lack of a better word. Anyway, Ventus spotted him and smiled, waving like they were best buds. It pissed Vanitas off and the dark haired boy stormed downstairs into his room and slammed the door, growling.

"Dumb piece of shit, he fights so well because he doesn't know hunger, fear, or pain. Xehenort waits on him hand and foot!" He kicked the futon he called a bed and cursed loudly at the pain. He flopped on the couch and glared at the ceiling, covered in stains from God knows what, and tried to breathe deeply and relax. He hated his life, his dinky little room that always smelled like the mold in the walls, his old tv he only got because Ventus had thrown it out and he had saved it despite the crack down the glass screen, the lumpy futon he slept on that hurt his back no matter how he arranged on it, and the bathroom that was really a closet with a toilet crammed in to the best of his ability, it did flush but it had no seat, it leaked water on the floor, and there was no sink or shower or anything. Meanwhile he knew his other half lived in luxury in an actual bedroom, with a bed with a mattress and blankets; with a nice little tv and a laptop; with a working bathroom. But no matter what Vanitas would never have it, so there was no use getting all angry now, he needed to rest if he was going to beat Ventus tomorrow.

Just as Vanitas closed his eyes and began to dream, there was a soft knock at the door and Vanitas woke from the rush of rage in his head, a soft knock meant it was fucking Ventus!

"What the hell do you want?!" Vanitas shouted at the door before it opened and sure enough there was the little blond holding a plate covered in foil like some sort of peace offering.

"I brought you some dinner," He smiled, the dumb shit probably didn't know that underneath the foil was just some chicken bones with a bit of meat left or some rotten bread or fruit.

"Thanks, just leave it on the table..." Vanitas sighed.

"Um..." Ventus looked around in confusion and looked apologetic, "I... I don't see a table."

"Oh! Haha, my bad!" Vanitas laughed in a cruel and angry fashion, "Sometimes I call the clean section of the floor the table. Sorry to confuse you, Ven," Vanitas pointed at the corner where he had swept all the dirt away to sit down when the futon was too uncomfortable.

Ventus just looked awkward and set the plate down, "You know, you don't have to be so mean to me... we are on the same side even if Xehenort tries to pit us against eachother..."

That pissed off Vanitas all over again and he stood up, glaring at his other half with murder in his eyes.

"We. Are. NOT. On the same side!" He growled, emphasizing each word, "We are competing for Master's approval! You areLight and I am Dark! Someday we will fight to the Death! And it doesn't matter to him who wins so long as the X-Blade is formed! That means that if I want to live I have to kill you! And I hate you, so I won't mind!" At that he smiled, now right up in Ventus' face, sure that his fowl smell was enough to kill Ventus in itself, "Let me make this clear, it may be because of Master that we live together, and it may be because of you that I even exist, but I hate you, and someday I will kill you slowly and watch the light leave your pathetic eyes!" He growled it out in fury as tears welled up in Ventus' eyes. Stupid kid was so weak! So why did he keep winning?!

Ventus backed slowly away and just closed the door, then Vanitas heard him run up the stairs and he locked the door. Not that locking the door would do him any good, Ventus was going to go crying to Xehenort, and Xehenort was going to walk right through the closed door if not through the wall and beat the shit out of him for yelling at Ventus. And why? Because he fueled the characters he wanted each to play, he made Ventus feel loved and like there was justice for him so that he would grow into the Hero; and he made damn sure Vanitas knew he was hated and that he had every reason to hate everyone else so that he would play the villain. It was all part of Xehenort's plan, and Vanitas knew it, but once he killed Ventus, he was going to kill Xehenort next. He had it all planned out, how he would turn on his master and kill him with the X-blade that he was being tortured to create, and then he himself would be the most powerful Villain of all time!

With that happy thought, Vanitas laid down and popped in his earbuds to listen to Pain by 3 Days Grace, and to that he slowly drifted to sleep once more.

A/N: Well I hope this got you interested and introduced the angry Vanitas well even though I have a hard time getting angry at people. He really just hurts so much inside, he just lets it out in the only way Xehenort will let him! Vani is kind of my hurt little baby because I don't feel he ever had a chance in the games, being solely created to hate Ventus... but I get to write the story now suckers! He'll get a better ending this time... maybe

Stay tuned for more chapters please, next we'll see the confrontation with Xehenort.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the 3rd one would be out by now and Sora would learn a bit of fashion sense and stop wearing parachute pants (come on Sora! Those were popular for maybe a month in the 70's! Get with the times!) There is some minor language ahead and Xehanort is just generally weird and his beard scares me in my dreams. Oh and if you haven't watched the movie in Kingdom Hearts 2.8 it doesn't play a big part in my story but there is a brief mentions of Lady Vulpes and it may be confusing. It is all just speculation and theory so just know that Lady Vulpes was one of the 5 2nd Gen Keyblade Masters assigned to training the 3rd Gen. On with the story.

When Vanitas awoke is was to the piercing golden eyes of his Master looming over him, he glanced at the untouched door to confirm that Xehenort had indeed walked completely through it. He gazed back up at his maker and recognized the sadistic cruelty that resided there. This was going to be painful, he knew it, but he would only keep it as fuel for when he himself murdered his torturer. After a few moments of eye contact, confirming that both knew exactly what was coming, Xehenort grabbed Vanitas by the collar and yanked him up to stand on the squishy rug.

"Ventus told me what you said to him," Xehenort rasped, "Not very nice to your brother are you?"

Vanitas didn't answer, it was only a trap to begin the beatings, he'd get beaten no matter what but he didn't want to make it any easier for the sadistic asshole.

Xehenort grabbed his wrist and began pulling him towards the door, "I am proud that you have come to understand your situation, and now that you know, I want you to see something..."

Vanitas actually felt curious, and followed dumbly behind Xehenort as he was pulled upstairs and to a door that was always kept locked. Inside was another staircase to the West Wing where he and Ven were forbidden to go. What could possibly be here? A torture chamber where he was about to know pain he had never known before? Or maybe a weapon stash where he could get a keyblade strong enough to get the upper hand on Ventus? Maybe just some dumb library with a bunch of books the Xehenort would expect him to find impressive or interesting. Whatever it was, each stair filled Vanitas with just a bit more curiosity and a bit more fear.

But the stairs did not end, and as the sun had gone down and no light was shining through the small windows, Vanitas could not see an end. It took a while before Vanitas noticed that it was a spiral staircase, and that there did seem to be some doors they passed but they were not entering them. Therefore they must be in one of the castles many towers and Xehenort was taking him to the top. Was his Master going to push him off? God, that would be awful, surely Van would break bones and not be able to fight for months.

They finally came out on a flat in the room of the tower, Xehenort whispered, "Fira," and all the candles in the room were lit. It was a modest room, all brick and stone with a rug in the middle. Vanitas noticed a shelf with a few spell books and one opened on a small round table. On the other side was a table with 2 chairs and a chess board set up on it. Next to that was a ladder presumably to the roof, and next to that, closest to them, was a painting. Vanitas stepped forward to get a better look at it and felt something in his throat catch. It was a very handsome young man with silver hair and golden eyes, he was dressed in an open black coat over a white undershirt unbuttoned partially to reveal part of his chest. Vanitas admired the muscles in his arms and chest, and the face looked so soft despite the fire in those eyes. Vanitas felt his stomach churn a little when he stared into those eyes-

"Handsome, isn't he?" Xehenort actually smiled, not smirked, not a threatening sadistic smile, but more like he was reminiscing.

"Was he your son?" Vanitas asked, a little hopeful. Maybe that's what awaited him in the west wing.

Xehenort only laughed, Vanitas flinched at it a moment before feeling a certain warmth from it. "No," Xehenort chuckled, "That was me when I was your age, some 40 years ago."

"Really?!" Vanitas looked from his master and back to the painting, when had those eyes replaced cunning for plotting, clever for vengeful, and strong for cruel? He could see the resemblance though, if he imagined the painting boy with no hair.

"Yes, I used to be quite the ladies man, before I injured my back and lost all my hair," Xehenort lightly touched the edge of the painting, "But that's not why I brought you here, go up the ladder."

Hesitantly, Vanitas did as he was told and went up the ladder to the balcony, gazing up at the full moon. Xehenort came up beside him and walked around to the other side, so Vani followed him.

"There, look, what do you see?" Xehenort pointed of into the desert behind the castle, where Vanitas had never gone. Vanitas squinted a little, trying to see better, but all he saw was sand and... sticks? Maybe some trees in the distance?

"Um... an oasis with trees?" Vanitas said uncertainly.

"Those are not trees my child," Vanitas shuddered at being called 'my child' by his psychopathic creator. "Those are the keyblades of fallen warriors, fighting over the light in the great Keyblade war, only one man survived, an apprentice of Lady Vulpes who was against the war... he taught me and Master Eraqus, who have trained keyblade masters in our turn as well. Terra and Aqua will undoubtedly pass the keyblade to apprentices in their wake, as is their destiny. But your destiny is different, as you have realized. But what do you really think your destiny is? Because you are wrong that I do not care who wins... that is like saying I care not whether Light prevails over Darkness, when really that is what this is all about."

Vanitas thought a moment, "So... you do want me to kill Ventus?"

"Precisely, my entire plan depends on it, you will kill Ventus to create the X-blade, and I will rejuvinate myself by turning Terra over to the darkness, then I will hand over every light being I can find over to the darkness as well until everything in in darkness."

"But why? The Darkness isn't even a force, it's a state of being, it can't reward you for handing it the world?"

"There you are wrong, the Darkness IS a force, a force to be collected as the Lux was the force of Light before the Keyblade War. But now both the darkness and the light reside only in people's hearts, so I must turn their hearts to the darkness and collect them, to form Kingdom Hearts and gain the ultimate power! And why, you ask? Because that is my destiny, it was prophesied long ago how all of this would play out, I am simply playing my role. And when it is complete, I will rule over the fear stricken people lost in the darkness, that is my goal. But what about you, now that you know where your story ends, the rest is unwritten. What would you do after you kill Ventus?"

"I... I would..." Vanitas couldn't say "Kill you" but that was the only thing he knew of. What did he want to do once he was free? He had never thought past killing Xehenort. "I would explore the worlds... I want to see something better than this desert..."

Xehenort laughed, "Well I suppose I can't expect high ambitions from someone who hasn't experienced the world yet. But I do expect for you to form higher hopes than that before you kill Ventus. Just as you must become physically stronger, you must find something stronger to fight for, only then can you win." Xehenort nodded knowingly, and Vanitas imagined him thinking something dumb like ' _That was good, yes... I should write that down.'_ Vanitas held in a laugh at that image, and simply gazed up at the moon, he rarely saw it since there were no windows in his basement. Once he was free, he wanted to have a nice room with windows everywhere, and a nice comfy bed, and take a bath in his own tub.

"May I leave now, Sir?" Vanitas asked, hesitantly, he felt the moment was over, and really he just wanted to go to sleep and get away from the high balcony he still slightly feared he was going to be pushed off of.

"Yes... be ready to fight Ventus tomorrow," Xehenort just stared at the battlefield in the distance, not looking at Vanitas.

Vanitas climbed back down the ladder and looked at the handsome painting one last time before going down the stairs two at a time. He reached the door and opened it, he felt weird being in this room, he had never not seen Ven in here, so this room had always made him angry. But as he looked around the empty foyer, everything looked so welcoming and comfy. No wonder Ven was always in such a good mood, he never had to sleep on a lumpy couch or eat scraps... Vanitas almost felt pity for Ventus, they were both just clay shaped by Xehenort, Ven had just as much choice being spoiled rotten as Vanitas did being abused... maybe they were on the same side... but Vanitas knew that without the X-blade, he could never take out Xehenort, and so no matter what side anyone was on, he and Ventus would still have to fight.

A/N: Well this was a bit of a detour from where this is going but I felt it needed to be done, also I wasn't in the mood for Vani getting beaten black and blue. But this will play into the story later so I felt it was important. It was a nice little break for Vanitas and he may jack off thinking about that painting... poor guy has never even seen the glory of breasts... but I'm a fujoshi so I would make him gay no matter how many breasts he'd seen! Muahahaha! Thanks for reading and stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was as though nothing had happened, Xehanort had Vanitas and Ventus fight each other before breakfast and Ventus won like it was nothing as usual. But Vanitas was determined to get stronger, he skipped breakfast (which he had never actually gotten around to eating his dinner last night either, and summoned the unversed for a bit more practice instead. He turned on some 3 Days Grace to fight too and went to town on some Bruisers for a little over an hour before collapsing in the sand to catch his breath. When he opened his eyes again Ventus was standing over him, looking concerned.

"You didn't eat breakfast, Vani..." He trailed off, looking down at his other half.

"Don't call me Vani, I'm not your friend," Vanitas growled half-heartedly as he stood up and brushed himself off, "How is it that when you were surrounded by all these unversed you failed and split into two entities, yet I can fight them but can't fight you?"

"I dunno," Ventus shrugged, "Maybe I'm just better at fighting single enemies than you and your better at fighting groups. I'm only one enemy so when we fight you use the wrong tactics."

It actually made a lot of sense, Vanitas always fought as large a group of Unversed as he could, getting the strongest minions he could and summoning as many as possible so he could practice dodging, blocking, and attacking from every angle. But he never focused on just one to move around that Unversed in particular, so all of his moves were based on defense and counter, instead of offense. Therefore he could only beat Ventus by defending and countering and outlasting him, which obviously wasn't going so well.

"I could train with you, if you like," Ventus cut off Vanitas' train of thought.

"You would help me figure out how to kill you?" Vanillas looked at him with a glare that said ' _surely even you aren't that stupid.'_

"I would if it made you happy... your part of me, right? So if your hurt, then I'm really just hurting a part of myself. How can I truly be happy when you're not?"

Vanitas had never thought of it that way. Would killing Ventus hurt him? No, if they were that connected, Vanitas should feel happy when Ventus did, and Vanitas was never happy. He was always angry, jealous, or sad. They were indeed two sides of the same coin, but they weren't so connected that they should cross to the other side and change each other. Ven just felt sympathy because that's what good guys felt, people who are happy sympathize for those who aren't, and people who aren't happy envy those who are. It was just balance. With that thought in mind, Vanitas just shook his head.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, not that you need help sleeping in that comfy bed of yours."

Ventus looked hurt, "You know, it's not my fault you sleep in the basement! If you didn't always rebel against the Master, he would let you sleep upstairs too! You're always being mean and rebellious and he told me you sleep downstairs because he's scared you'll try to kill us in our sleep! You never come to dinner with us and Master puts all that work into making a nice little dinner to send down to you in your room and warms it up for you and you don't ever even say thank you! Maybe if you would stop victimizing yourself-"

WHAM! Vanitas punched Ventus in the mouth, how dare he suggest that Vanitas chose to be treated this way! Vanitas wasn't allowed at the dinner table, he was never given the chance to sleep upstairs, and maybe he did mouth off a lot, but Xehanort would NEVER be afraid of a weak child like him! God! He was just so full of rage he couldn't even process everything that had pissed him off in that moment, he punched Ventus again and again although after a moment of recovery Ventus was blocking every single one.

Then the pain came, Ventus had started hitting back and busted Vani's eyebrow. Vanitas felt the blood run down the side of his face and practically roared as he tackled Ventus to the ground, pinning him and punching the shit out of him. Though really to anyone standing a couple feet away, all this drama was really just a petty sibling fight.

Ventus kicked Vanitas off and tried to stand up, but Vanitas jumped to his feet and grabbed Ventus' wrist so hard both thought it might break, he dragged his other half violently towards the castle, not caring that Ventus was tripping and stumbling along as he went. He dragged him inside and down the stairs to his room, throwing him inside and locking the door as he entered.

"Oh yeah! Master loves me soooo much!" He yelled as he picked up the foil wrapped plate in the corner, "He puts so much work into making me dinner because I'm an evil apprentice who refuses to eat with you guys!" He ripped the foil off to reveal some stale crackers and a raw fish head. "Yeah this took so much work to make! It's the scraps of your dinner along with the crackers neither of you wanted! This is what I eat every fucking day you dumb shit!"

Ventus looked at the plate in horror, "Where's the rest of it?"

"THERE IS NO REST OF IT!" Vanitas threw the plate at Ventus' head, "THAT'S ALL I GET EVERY DAY! CHICKEN BONES AND FISH HEADS AND THE MILK AFTER IT'S GONE BAD! THAT'S IT!"

Ventus flinched and looked at the food now on the floor, "No... No I've seen him prepare a nice meal and cover it in foil, then he puts it in the oven to warm it and gives it to me to bring down or brings it down himself..."

"Yeah well he probably makes himself a freaking snack then sends me his garbage because this is all I get!" Vanitas growled.

Ventus' eyes snapped back up, "Well you shouldn't expect a great meal to just be delivered. I have to clean and set the table and help cook sometimes, you just fight unversed then lock yourself down here! You could at least come to the table and have what we're having! Maybe wash the dishes afterwards!"

Vanitas grabbed his collar and lifted him up only to shove him into the wall, nose to nose.

"This is how Xehanort held me when he told me the first day I was alive, he told me that if I ever went upstairs without him specifically inviting me that he would wring my neck and eat me for dinner!"

Ventus looked frightened, and Vanitas knew he should stop, that he had had the same look in his eyes a dozen times before when Xehanort had held him to the wall and yelled at him and beat him just like this. But there was a sick satisfaction from seeing the smug happy face look the way HE felt for once, and he felt powerful being the one reducing Ventus to this fearful state instead of being the one afraid.

"Every time you tell Master about us fighting and he comes to "talk to me" or whatever the hell he tells you to give you a sense of justice, this is what he does! He pins me up here and yells at me and beats me!"

Now Ventus was crying. Big, sloppy, wet tears were rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I didn't mean-" But Vanitas cut him off again.

"What?! You didn't mean what?! You didn't mean to imply that I like it down here?! That I enjoy being in my own filth all day?! That I don't want to be loved like you are?!" And suddenly Vanitas was crying angry tears too, "You don't think I see him train you? He corrects your stances and shows you moves and gives you pointers! And then he expects me to beat you?! I have nothing but what you learned before we split and a bunch of unversed to practice on! I want him to treat me like his actual student like you! But he won't! Because he hates me!"

At some point Vanitas had let go of Ventus' shirt and was slowly backing up, curling down into a fetal position.

"He makes you meals and teaches you how to read and he watches movies with you on the couch and holds you to his shoulder! When you cry he defends you and comforts you and what about me huh? If I cry he says I'm weak! He beats me until I stop crying and tells me to be stronger! I've never watched a movie at all! He's never patted my back let alone held me! You think I don't want a hug every now and then!"

Vanitas was curled up now, sobbing into his knees so that Ventus couldn't even really understand what he was saying anymore. But despite the fear that had filled him only seconds prior, Ventus now just felt sorry for Vanitas, who had never known love just like Ventus had never known pain or fear until now. Well today was a day of firsts, so he stooped down and held Vanitas' head to his chest.

"It's okay..." He whispered, stroking the black spikes, "I love you... even if Master doesn't... and I'll teach you everything he taught me... and... and... we can run away... we'll run away where he can never hurt you again," Ventus stumbled through the sentence, not sure what else to say to a crying person, he wasn't used to being the comforter; but he knew Vanitas needed it and he really did want Vanitas to be happy.

"R-really?" Vanitas looked up at Ventus, seeing him in a whole new light. He wasn't just a naive brat that wanted the world to be a good place, he really was a heroic figure who would give up his own comfortable life to _make_ the world a good place.

"Yeah really... as soon as we get the chance, we'll run away..." Ventus continued to comfort Vanitas and hold the crying boy to his chest. Little did either of them know this was the last time they would see each other for very long time.

A/N: Poor Vanitas, he just wants to be treated like a decent human being... and Ventus is just a sweet little baby. I always loved how he never gave up on Terra, so that's how I wanted him to be with Vanitas. But all this happened before Birth By Sleep so the next section will be moving into the realm of the game. Stay tuned as I am bored and will probably write more before the day is out... no promises though.


	4. Chapter 4

When Vanitas woke up the next morning, it was in Ventus' bed with soft blankets covering his aching body. Ventus had snuck him upstairs and let him sleep in the king sized bed with him so he didn't have to sleep on the smelly futon again, it was the best night's sleep Vanitas had gotten in his life. Ventus had even let him use the tub and wash himself properly for the first time since he had gotten an injury and was so covered in blood that Xehenort had washed him. He sat up to a sunlit room and a refreshed feeling that made him feel he could do anything today! But as he looked beside him, Ventus was not on the other side of the bed where he had been before.

"He's probably already up, eating breakfast or watching cartoons..." Vanitas thought to himself, he didn't know when the other two got up, just that they were ready to duel around 9:30 every morning. So Vanitas got up and found his now clean clothes (Ventus had thrown them in the washing machine last night) dry and neatly folded on the dresser. He put them on and oh! They had never been softer, the grime and sweat and oil that always made them seem to stick to him were gone and he felt like he were wearing a second skin they were so comfortable.

He snuck downstairs and outside to warm up until he and Ventus would duel. They had decided to continue practicing until they were strong enough to beat Xehanort together and then they would run away to Master Eraqus' Castle and ask to be his new apprentices. But the sun rose higher and higher and Ventus nor Xehenort showed up. Vanitas was worried, but chose to practice a while longer, scared of wandering the castle looking for Ventus when he technically wasn't allowed in the upstairs area at all. He summoned a massive darkside to practice single target fighting like Ventus had suggested, it got him pretty good quite a few times and Vanitas had to adjust his tactics, but once he got the defense down, the Darkside was relatively easy to beat with low hp and weak attacks.

As the Darkside exploded, Vanitas saw a figure in the distance through the rising black smoke, and as it cleared he recognized his Master walking towards the Castle from the distant gates.

"Master Xehanort?" Vanitas questioned as his Master neared him, Xehanort had never left the castle while Vanitas had been around, so why was he walking back from the gates now?

"Vanitas," Xehanort said in a tired voice, "Come with me..."

Vanitas followed him inside, full of uncertainty and fear.

"Where is Ventus? He wasn't here to duel this morning," Vanitas said as they walked inside. Xehanort whipped around, a look of sickly pleasure on his face and rage in his eyes as he shut the door and pinned Vanitas against it.

"Do you really think that anything happens in this Castle without me knowing about it?!"

Vanitas was scared, and shook slightly as he stared up into the golden eyes, silent.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Xehanort slapped Vanitas hard across the face, making his cheek sting.

"N-no, Sir..." Vanitas stuttered, resisting the urge to cover the place where he'd been struck, knowing it to be a "sign of weakness" that would earn him beatings until he stopped flinching.

"That's right! I know everything! I know what you and Ventus talked about last night! And now that he is self aware, he could not play his part!"

Vanitas trembled with fear, for once not for himself but for Ven, "W-what did you do to him?"

"I sent him away Vanitas... I wiped all of his memories and turned him over to Eraqus... it was the only way to ensure he'll train as a heroic Keyblade Master."

No... Ventus? Gone?

"You wiped all of his memories?! Why?!" Vanitas stammered.

"I do not have the power to simply remove one night of memory and keep him here. He would see you and immediately remember. And if I had sent him to Eraqus with all that he knows about me, Eraqus, Mickey, Yen Sid and every apprentice in existence would be after me! Be lucky I found a way to fix your mistake at all! I could have just killed both of you and started over, I have plenty of time after all," Xehanort was furious, Vanitas could tell, but even now his Narcissistic side was making the man proud of his anger, and that was when the sadistic side usually came out and tortured Vanitas. Vanitas had to choose his next move very carefully.

"I'm sorry for messing everything up, Sir... I'm glad you came up with such a clever way to fix it... I'm glad you spared our lives..." Stroking Xehanort's ego would send the man on a rant about how great he was, but he wouldn't hurt Vanitas... most of the time.

And just like Vanitas hoped, a smirk graced the elder's lips as he leaned back and began talking about how "Yes, it was very clever, wasn't it?" and "You could never have come up with something like that." Vanitas endured it, nodding and assuring him with "Yes so clever!" and "Never in a million years!" and "I wish I was as smart as you!"

After a while Xehanort began a mobile muttering to himself of how easy ruling the world really was for someone smart and patient like him and went to the kitchen to make lunch for himself. Vanitas stayed by the door, not sure whether to follow or run or just go to his room. What would life be like without Ventus? But Vanitas tried to console himself by reminding himself that Ven was in the safest place possible. Xehanort couldn't make them fight when Ven was with Eraqus, and in time Vanitas would get to Eraqus too. He would tell Eraqus everything, and Eraqus would surely kill Xehanort and take Vanitas in too! It wasn't what they had planned, but Vanitas knew that Ventus was safe and happy where he was, and as long as Xehanort couldn't touch Ven, Vanitas could take all the abuse his Master had to dish out.

Suddenly Xehanort reappeared in the doorway to the dining room, "Come along, you might as well eat."

Vanitas was taken aback, but he slowly and carefully stepped into the dining room and took a seat at the huge table where there was a setting for him. Xehanort set down a simply peanut butter and jelly in front of him with some chips on the side. It was small and simple, but it was the most beautiful meal Vanitas had ever had given to him. He felt like he might cry over the white fluffy bread, free of mold and dirt. And as he put a fresh potato chip in his mouth, the flavor exploded in his mouth like the stale ones never had, and as excitement overtook him, he began eating like he had never had a morsel of food in his life.

Xehanort just calmly ate his turkey sandwich and watched his apprentice, he found it kind of cute, like when he would give Ventus a gift, or more closely like giving a puppy a treat. He got up and poured some grape juice in a glass, setting it in front of Vanitas and sitting to watch as Vanitas stared at him in excitement before gulping it down. That was when Xehanort realized, no amount of abuse now was going to make Vanitas hate Ventus, because he could no longer blame his abuse on Ventus winning duels and Vanitas' short comings. However, Vanitas really was like a puppy, and everyone knows that when you befriend a dog, the dog will loyally follow you to the ends of the earth. Loyalty was what he needed from Vanitas now, and if something as simple as a PB&J got Vanitas this excited, then bonding with him and earning his love and respect would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

From that day on, Xehanort would raise Vanitas like his own son, teaching him to be just as evil and cruel as himself until Vanitas would be willing to die for the X-blade, just to make his Master happy.

A/N: Wow! Ok it's coming together... but will Vanitas really sell out his other half just for PB&J's?! Stay tuned, I'm going to stick with Vanitas, maybe I'll make a side story at some point about Ventus, but really Ven just follows the game pretty closely except for an adorable little crush on Terra :) Stay tuned for some Vanitas spoiling and his reunion with Ventus.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters or else Donald would FREAKING HEAL SORA BEFORE HE ALREADY USED A POTION! But... I don't so Donald will forever make us all angry.**

 **This is a more happy chapter, I'm gonna build Vanitas up a bit before Aqua and Terra's Mark of Mastery Exam, because he is a sweet little kitten who deserves to be happy damn it! So enjoy the warm fuzzies :)**

Months went by, Xehenort treated Vanitas just the way Vanitas had always imagined him to treat Ventus. When they trained in the mornings, Xehenort actually taught him from scratch, going through the stances and moves, then the methods, then the applications, and Vanitas had become a much stronger fighter for it. They had gone through tactics for single, small groups, and large groups of enemies and it was noticeable that Vanitas was getting far less injuries during each battle. They had even started some basic magic like Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Gravity. Though Vanitas was still a novice at all of them and could not figure out the time stop at all.

Every morning Xehanort made Vanitas a nice breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and every day Vanitas would get excited over a new dish at least for dinner (the expanse of sandwiches was limited) and would gratefully thank his Master for every meal. After dinner, Xehanort would usually take him up to the tower to stargaze and just talk about the little things that friends would: hopes, ambitions, jokes, buckets lists, etc. And then Vanitas would sit on the couch under a blanket next to Xehanort and watch movies. Xehanort had been pleasantly surprised that Vanitas did not like cartoons and romantic comedies like Ventus always had, he loved action, horror, and occasionally sci-fi.

It was a bright Friday morning when Xehanort decided that today he would show Vanitas some advanced magic, not really expecting him to learn it just yet, but just to inspire him with what he could do if he practiced enough. He went to Vanitas' room and woke the sleeping boy up for breakfast and training.

When they stepped outside, Vanitas drew his keyblade ready for warm ups and drills, but Xehanort told him to put it away.

"Why, Master? I thought warm ups were essential?" Vanitas questioned so respectfully, you would never have recognized him.

"Today I'm going to show you some things, just for fun. You've been working hard and I want to show you some of what you will learn in the future if you continue working hard," Xehanort responded, taking off his coat to stand shirtless in just pants and boots.

"Magic isn't always offensive," the elder started, "It can do many things both defensively and creatively. The great Master Merlin actually uses most of his magic to do household chores," at that they both smiled at each other and Vanitas laughed a little bit. "When Yen-Sid's apprentice, Mickey, first started, he managed to flood the whole castle trying to enchant the mops to do all the cleaning so he wouldn't have to. He executed it poorly, but it was such a good idea that Yen Sid adopted it and you can still find a few brooms doing the chores around his castle, as well as an army of them in Disney Castle where King Mickey rules."

Vanitas looked surprised, "Yen Sid taught a King?!"

"Yes, he was one of my Master's apprentices, though much older than Eraqus and I. He only ever taught Mickey, but he is one of the administrators for the Mark of Mastery Exam."

Just thinking about the Exam made Vanitas a bit queasy, although he knew he couldn't take it for 2 more years at least.

"Merlin also enjoys the magic of transfiguration, though he has focused it on animals."

"What do you mean?" Vanitas was sitting down with his legs crossed now, looking like an eager child listening to his grandfather's stories.

"Well, Merlin likes to explore the worlds from different points of view, he prefers walks in the woods as a squirrel, or the oceans as a fish, instead of just exploring the world as a man can. If I recall correctly, he managed to get himself and King Arthur into trouble years ago when a pair of female squirrels took a fancy to them. Since then he is much more careful about transforming during mating season," Xehanort said it so gravely that Vanitas couldn't help but burst into laughter, and soon his master joined in.

Once they had both calmed down enough to talk again, Xehanort rebooted his speech, "Anyway... transfiguration has become a very important part of being a Keyblade Master ever since the worlds broke apart in the great war. When travelling we must fit in and be sure not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds, and so it is essential to look like the natives. The more advanced you are in transfiguration, the more native you'll be able to look. Sometimes its as simple as changing your outfit, but sometimes you may have to change your species all together! You may find yourself in Atlantica and need to change into a merman or a fish, or arrive at Pride Rock and need to change into a Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, or even a mouse, depending on which species you need to communicate with. If you go to a place like Atlantis, you would need to change your hair and skin tone to look like the natives as well. So mastering this art will make your travels go much more smoothly. I once had to go to a place called Neverland, and the rulers there are actually children. When I appeared as an adult, I was shot at and wound up ostracized with some pirates, but after transforming into a child, I was able to complete my mission, so sometimes it is not only helpful, but necessary. Are you following all of this?"

Vanitas nodded, whether he would remember every word was questionable, but he thought that transfiguration sounded fun, and the scenarios were only confirming his excitement.

"Good, now I will show you some basic transfiguration first, I'm not going to teach you because I don't think your magic is where it needs to be, and I don't want you practicing this when you haven't conjured up a shield yet. But I thought you would enjoy seeing some."

Xehanort closed his eyes and whispered some incantation and in a puff of smoke, he was an eagle. Glorious and majestic, he opened his wings and took off, flying high above Vanitas to the apprentice's awe. Then he made a glorious near-vertical dive towards the ground, and there was a puff of smoke that looked nearly like the break of the sound barrier, after which landed not an eagle but a cat, which landed on all fours and scampered around a bit.

After the cat, Xehanort turned into a lion, and roared for Vani, then a gray wolf and howled, then a mole and burrowed into the earth, and then came from the hole as a hooded cobra. After that Vani started making suggestions, excited to see everything his Master could turn into, and at last he made a rather shy request.

"Could... could you turn into... yourself? When you were younger?"

Xehanort returned to his true state and looked at his student, "How much younger?"

"Like um... in the painting in the tower..." Vanitas felt his ears get warm and knew he was blushing even though he tried to hide it. He looked away and stuttered, "N-never mind, that's stupid..."

But gentle fingers lifted his chin again, calloused but warm, to look into golden eyes, much brighter than before. Vanitas stared with his mouth open a little as he studied the smooth face, not yet covered in wrinkles around the mouth and eyes; the full, long, silver hair, swept back at the top but with some strands still left to frame his face. His lips were not pursed like they had been, they looked full and soft. And the voice that wafted into Vanitas' ears was no longer cracked and raspy, but deep and smooth.

"Like this, Vanitas?" The young man looked into Vanitas' eyes, trapping him in his gaze.

"Y-yeah..." Vanitas' voice cracked and his face got even hotter.

"Does it make you feel better to have someone closer to your age teaching you? To practice with like with Ventus?"

"Um... I... well... maybe... if you wanted to try that for a while... your still my Master, not my peer... but it might make practicing a bit easier..." Vanitas stumbled nervously through his words, feeling like he was meeting his hero for the first time or trying to talk to a celebrity.

"Very well then, we'll see if this helps your progress," The man pulled back to stand at full height, and without that hunched over thing Xehanort usually did, he was actually very tall.

Vanitas stumbled to his feet, still about 7 inches shorter than his Master, and looked everywhere but the handsome man's eyes.

"Well transfiguration certainly looks fun, I think I would want to be a raven most of the time!" Vanitas got excited again, looking back to his Master, "Or a black cat! I could sneak around at night and no one would even know I was there!"

Xehanort chuckled, "I can see you being a cat, but I don't think you'd sneak around much, you'd find some string and play with it for hours and never complete any of your missions."

Vanitas glared jovially, "Would not! I'd sneak up on people and turn into a leopard and eat them up before they knew what hit 'em!"

"Uh-huh, whatever you say, kitten," The elder smirked, but now it looked like a cocky high-school senior rather than a murderous villain.

"I'm not a kitten!"

"Then prove it!" Xehanort drew a Keyblade which Vanitas had never even seen before, it was black and had the head of a dragon at its base, it had two stems for durability and 3 prongs on the end for attack, there was also a bright blue eye embedded in the end that's gaze was even more captivating than Xehanort's himself.

Vanitas drew his own keyblade, a smile on his own face now before he summoned his helmet and immediately attacked his partner.

In the end, both men were sitting down panting, watching the sun set and laughing together like they had been wrestling over the last piece of pizza rather then beating each other with blunt metal objects to prove their might. Xehanort had won by far, but Vanitas was pretty proud of his performance. And as the sun went down and bathed the two in darkness, Xehanort stood up.

"Well, we had best go eat some dinner then," He said, holding out a hand to Vanitas.

Vanitas' stomach growled in agreement as he stood up and they both laughed, "I guess my stomach has a pretty strong opinion about that!" Vanitas laughed.

They went inside, ate, cleaned up, and Xehanort told Vanitas as he closed the dishwasher, "Best we get straight to bed I think, we'll be getting up extra early tomorrow to go celebrate how well you fought today. I really think you can beat Ventus when the time comes!" The elder smiled proudly at the younger and the younger felt a mix of pride and worry. He still didn't intend to fight Ventus... but could he really kill Xehanort after they had grown so close? Maybe there was another way to summon the X-blade, and then they could all be a happy family together. Vanitas would have to start studying in the library, figure out all he could about the X-blade, and then he could figure out what to do next.

Xehanort and Vanitas went their seperate ways, and as Vanitas laid down underneath his blankets, staring out the window at the moon, he thought of Ven, and wondered if they were both looking at the same night's sky. Vanitas decided that they were for his own comfort, and whispered a "Goodnight, Ven," before he drifted off to sleep.

 **A/N: Man! Before my Disclaimer and Author's Note, this chapter was 1,997 words! I thought it was cool because that's the year I was born in, I almost left out the extras so it would stay that way but oh well, I needed to say some stuff down here. Do not worry, gross old Xehanort and Vanitas are NOT gonna get together because even with him being all young with magic I can't get the image of gross old Xehanort out of my head. It's gonna wait til Xehanort regenerates or whatever you wanna call it so that I never never ever have to say "Xehanort's tongue travelled down Van's body"... except for just now and I shuddered a little bit. But I may give some romantic fluff to build up for when Vanitas is older and does get the boy. And AH! That little goodnight to Ven broke my heart, because Ven doesn't even know who Vanitas is anymore! Poor little Vanitas... he just wants his brother back and to have a family... I'm gonna wrap this up before I cry.**

 **Stay tuned for a fluffy chapter next time and coming soon will be the Mark of Mastery Exam when Vanitas first arrived in Birth by Sleep. Oh and I want to give a special thanks to Monolaymoo, who has continually given good reviews and helped me stay inspired to finish this story! Bye-bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow I am so sorry guys, it's been months! I got started into college/trade school and have been working on my cosplay portfolio in the very limited free time I've had. But I have some time off so I'm gonna try and pump out some chapters this week! Soooo, before I get going on this fluff chapter I've had in storage for eternity, let's talk game theory for a sec. So in the last chapter I went into a Keyblade Master's ability to change form. I get this idea from things like Atlantica and Pride Rock, where Sora can change into a mermaid and lion in order to blend in with the natives. It's explained as Donald's magic in KH1 but if it's just magic, it makes sense to me that a Keyblade Master could learn it as well and really it seems pretty important for people who frequently travel between worlds. So that's why I decided to delve in there and use it to explore Vanitas' homosexual side. Because Vani's never going to figure out that men are attractive if the only other guy around is a gross bald dude with dreadful posture! Lol, without further ado, here's my (very summer-y, sorry guys) fluff chapter! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up by the time you guys finish reading this one!**

Ever since Ventus had left, mornings were generally quiet. No pattering bare feet running around doing whatever the hell Ventus did in the mornings, no cheerful singing of annoying pop songs echoing throughout the halls, no loud chattering. It was peaceful and suddenly not such a far fetched idea for Vanitas to be able to sleep past 6am. But with the lack of a noisy home, wake up calls were apparently in order. Vanitas woke up grumpy and felt like biting the man above him as a sharp "Wake up," was said right in his ear. The silverette left the room as soon as his apprentice moved to get up and Vanitas was left alone to get dressed.

He got out of his delightfully warm, soft pajama bottoms and hissed when the cold stung his legs. He pulled out his normal underclothes for training and decided that maybe his failure at fire magic could come in handy. He laid the clothes out and sternly said "Fire!" with his hand out, as per usual his hand sparked but only warm air emanated. It was exactly what he wanted: when he put on the clothes, they were as warm as if they were fresh out of the dryer. He smiled to himself and slipped on his sneakers - Xehenort didn't want him scuffing up the floors, so he had gotten his apprentice house shoes with soft bottoms opposed to his hardened training shoes- and took the stairs down two at a time. Now that he was properly awake, he was sure this was going to be a good day. And as he learned yesterday, working hard and doing well in his training now meant he would get rewarded with things like seeing his Master's best tricks! He felt rejuvenated and ready to work hard, train, and become just as good as Xehanort someday!

But his dreams of working himself to death today were shattered as he sat down at the table to orange juice, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a sausage link.

"We are going out today," Xehenort said as he set down the plate of food and sat down with his own.

"We?" Vanitas asked after stuffing his mouth with syrup covered pancake, he never got to go anywhere.

Xehanort smiled at his plate, it was adorable to see the younger acting like a proper child, but he still had to act like the adult here. "Swallow, then ask," it was stern, but not mean whatsoever.

"Sorry," Vanitas said, still with his mouth full, then swallowed. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere special, it's a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Yes like... something that I don't tell you but it's something that you'll like?" Xehanort cocked an eyebrow, was it possible that Vanitas didn't know what a surprise was? He himself had never given the boy a surprise, but he still had most of the knowledge Ventus had before Xehanort had split his heart...

"I know _what_ a surprise it, Master, I just don't understand why your giving me one. Is it like a special mission or something?" He rolled his eyes but smiled anyway and pressed his question.

That lightened Xehanort's heart consideably, "Haha, I'm not telling you, you'll just have to wait. Now eat your good food, not just the sugary stuff." He insisted and ate his own eggs and toast.

An hour later, Vanitas was positively bouncing as he trailed behind Xehanort out the front gates of the estate and through a portal of darkness to a whole new world! He was blinded by a fresh, yellow sun and a slightly clouded, blue sky. There were massive white walls in front of them and a crowd of people milling inside. There were icons of a mouse all over the place and a giant icon over large double sized gates where people were piling inside.

"Where are we? Why are there so many people?" Vanitas pestered excitedly as they walked, looking in every direction and trying to commit every square inch of the new destination to his memory.

"We are at your surprise, don't wander off," Xehanort smiled fondly and grabbed Vanitas' hand to keep the boy close by in the dense crowd of human bodies. Vanitas continued with questions and wandering eyes that his body lazily tried to follow, the handsome silverette just smiled and guided him along, refusing to say a word. When they got to the gate, Xehanort paid for admission of two and they were given wristbands to wear. As soon as they passed through, the view got infinitely more colorful and exciting, there were some rides, several games, places to buy snacks, and even some competitions from what Vanitas could tell. He spotted a race course on speeders that looked awesome!

"Welcome to Disney Town fair, Vani," Xehanort smiled and made eye contact with the younger when those excited, wide eyes finally turned his way. "We can do whatever you want, this is a little bonus reward for you. But you have to keep studying hard after this, right?" He smiled softly, trying to act like he _didn't_ just bring them there to see Vanitas get this excited. Vanitas nodded vigorously and grabbed Xehanort's hand a little harder than necessary as he pulled him towards the race track.

They did that race track about 5 times, and Xehanort "let" Vanitas win all but the third time. Vanitas did some sort of centrifuge-like ride that had Xehanort nauseous just watching, so the older teen opted out and just got a few pictures of Vanitas stepping off the ride, falling over after the ride, and puking in a trash can. Both were happy when their attention rested mutually on the gentle ferris wheel and Xehanort helped the still wobbling Vani into the seat.

"Wow, this place is bigger than I thought," Vanitas said looking over the town when they reached the top, Xehanort couldn't care less about the view, after all he thought this world was better in it's darker days, but the profile of Vanitas with joy etched into his features and the sunlight shimmering off him was breath taking.

"Yeah, incredible," the older said softly in compliance without even glancing at the town. Where was this boy when he was actually this young? He was pretty damn sure men were never this cute when he was Vanitas' age. But no matter what he felt now, he was an old man with a decrepit body nearing the end of his natural life. But that would change... once his plans were complete, he would be young again, he would find an able body and start his life anew.

"After this, let's grab some lunch?" He suggested when they began to descend and Vanitas' attention could be drawn away without him missing anything.

"Sure! Everything smells so good here," He nodded his agreement then blushed a little and looked at his hands, "Do you think after that... we could maybe get some ice cream?" He asked shyly, he wasn't used to being allowed to actually ask for things. But Xehanort just smiled.

"Of course, there's a place here that'll let you get as much ice cream as you can balance on a cone," he pointed towards the moogle shop where such a delicious game existed.

"That sounds amazing!" Vanitas looked up and got excited again.

"How about we do that last though, alright? I would hate for you to eat that much sugar and then throw it up on a ride. We'll head out around 3:30 after the parade, and we'll go get ice cream on our way out. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. I don't want to get sick anyway, but it would be especially sad after ice cream." The younger agreed and they reached the bottom and got off the ride. They ate some pretzel-wrapped hot dogs for lunch, then rode a roller coaster and tower drop before the parade. The parade itself was mostly just lots of balloons, confetti, and a marching band. There were floats funded by local businesses with big funny mascots on them, and a float for the King and Queen who would only actually be _on_ the float the last day of the festival. It was rather simple, but it wasn't really low budget or dull, and Vanitas enjoyed it immensely. He managed to balance 5 scoops of ice cream before fearing it would fall and accepting it, and they sat on a bench so Vanitas could stare at his treat not knowing where to even begin.

"It's gonna melt, Vani," Xehanort eyed him in amusement while the goth looking teen stared in wonder at the cold dairy product. He had gotten all chocolate, not that Xehanort was surprised, and it was already losing its frozen form a little.

"Where do I eat it from? I can't reach the top but if I start in the middle or bottom it will fall," Vanitas expressed his concern, "I didn't think this through," he admitted.

"Hahaha, here," Xehanort took the dessert and held it low for Vanitas so he could lick the top. "Eat quick, but not too quick or you'll get a brainfreeze. If your pallet gets cold that's the warning and you should suck on your tongue a minute to warm those nerves before you get a headache ok?" He instructed the younger like eating ice cream was an art form, he didn't know that Vani had ever had ice cream before so better safe than sorry. Though it would be adorable to see the shock and betrayal on Vani's face if he got a brainfreeze without knowing what it was. He would probably glare at the ice cream like an angry kitten! But Xehanort had already spoken and he didn't regret it.

Vanitas lapped the melting chocolate quickly and got 3 scoops eaten before it was obvious it would melt before he finished. "Would you help me?" He asked looking up with those golden eyes, it was adorable!

"Sure, thank you," the handsome man smiled and licked the ice cream too and they finished it off. Xehanort gave the cone to vanitas and went to a nearby water fountain to rinse off what had melted onto his hand before coming back.

"You ready to go?" He asked and held out a hand to help Vanitas up.

"Yeah," Vanitas took it and stood to his feet, "This was so fun! Thank you!" And he hugged Xehanort. He _hugged_ him! Xehanort was surprised and it took him at least 3 seconds to relax and lay his arms gently around the smaller male affectionately. It had been a long time since he had felt a loving embrace from anyone, but Vanitas had never felt it, he realized. So he wrapped his arms tighter and buried his face in black hair.

"I'm glad you had fun," he smiled into soft roots where the pomade didn't affect the spikey locks, and held the younger as long as Vani wanted. When Vanitas finally loosened his grip and pulled back, Xehanort held his hand and took him home.

 **A/N:** **Dawwwwwww! I just really needed Vanitas to get to go to Disney Town too XD Sweet baby and ice cream! See you guys next time, thanks for reading and for all the nice comments!**


	7. Chapter 7

Days of training turned into weeks that turned into months. Xehanort started leaving more and more often, leaving Vanitas to train alone and generally wander the castle. Every morning Vanitas trained with the heartless, then practiced his magic, then often travelled alone to nearby worlds to explore before his Master could return to find him missing. He read that time travelled differently in each world, so he chose those with slower time so he could stay out longer and see all that the worlds had to offer for a teenage boy. The sting of losing Ventus had faded significantly, he was relatively ok with the thought that Ventus was off training under a Master that could nurture his happier style. Vanitas himself had grown happier with his life significantly, but at the same time was being groomed and taught to enjoy the darker things in life. It started with simple things like enjoying gory horror movies instead of just the happy rom coms and sci fi that Ventus liked and being more violent towards heartless than Ventus ever would. It expended more energy at first, just like it used to when he let his rage against Ven drive his fights. But he was learning to control his rage, to use it instead of letting it use him, and he found significant strength in it.

But slowly over the next year, Xehanort had been teaching Vanitas that really it was them against the world, and if the world suffered for them to get what they needed then that was the way it had to be. At first it disturbed Vanitas, killing heartless was one thing, even getting into fights with Ventus when they didn't get along wasn't a big deal, but as he learned Xehanort's plan to plunge all worlds into darkness... the lives that would be ended, the hearts lost, it was all too much. Honestly he still wasn't totally ok with the idea. Xehanort taught him that all began in darkness, and that by returning to darkness the world would be his and he could fix it to it's original glory. Vanitas accepted that fine. Xehanort told him that in darkness, all began as the creatures of it, be it heartless/unversed, or just bodyless hearts; he told him that people wouldn't really die, they would just stop existing the way they currently do. Vanitas could accept that. But the whole idea in itself rubbed him the wrong way, he still felt like they were killing and destroying even though he believed everything his master told him. He couldn't understand what was wrong with the world how it was anyway, why did it need to be reverted to it's original state.

But then he understood.

It was the day of the Mark of Mastery Exam for Eraqus' students, and Xehanort invited Vanitas to come along and watch. His only condition was for Vanitas to go in full armor. Vanitas was excited at the aspect, the armor told him that he himself might get to show off his skills. Ventus would be there, maybe they could spar, maybe Eraqus would be impressed by his power, maybe he could take the Mark of Mastery too after they saw that his skills far surpassed his age! It was going to be an amazing day, and Vanitas couldn't wait to get there. They used a Dark Corridor to travel, and as they stepped out to the gates of the Land of Departure, Vanitas was stunned at how regal and majestic it looked compared to their own home in the dark desert.

"This is where you trained, isn't it, Master?" He asked as they made a slow ascent up the mountain. For some reason, Xehanort refused to use his shapeshifting magic to it's full capacity in front of Eraqus and so was a decrepit old man who couldn't walk very fast; the incline didn't help.

"Yes, I was here with Eraqus when we were both young," Xehanort said in his old, rasping voice. It was like sandpaper after Vanitas had gotten so used to having his younger form around.

"So why don't we live here? Why does Eraqus?" He cocked his head, he didn't mind their home, but how did Xehanort wind up in the desert by the Keyblade Graveyard in the first place.

"Ah well, normally the Keyblade Apprentice most akin to a shared Master will take over the castle of that Master. However our Master died before our Mark of Mastery Exam and Yen Sid finished our training. So he couldn't choose who got to stay here and train more apprentices. But I didn't really want this place, didn't want to be the center of attention for those seeking to become wielders, so I gave up my right to Eraqus and went to start my own facility where only the apprentice I chose would be there."

"Oh I see, so anyone can come here to learn? Like a school?"

"Yes and no, they can come here to apply to learn. The Master still chooses whether or not he thinks they are worthy and have potential, but rather than going out to seek those who have it, they come to him and he chooses them. I preferred to travel and find those I thought were worthy. Though it is much harder to do with the laws about not meddling in other worlds in place. You can't walk around asking people if they want to be a Keyblade Master without revealing that there are other worlds, so it's quite a process. But I'd say even if Ventus wasn't a good fit with us, you were the perfect choice. When you two split apart, you were all the potential I saw in the original Ventus."

Vanitas smiled at the praise and followed quietly up to the summit of the mountain.

Vanitas went to go find his twin, overly excited. He knew the other's memory had been erased, but he knew once they were together again, Ventus would remember everything. They were two sides of a coin and he was certain that just being near one another, they would click just like they used to. He had even brought him a gift, a keychain for his blade that Vanitas had forged himself. It didn't necessarily make the most powerful keyblade, but Vanitas had worked hard on it. It took a lot of complicated magic and ingredients that had been incredibly hard to find. He couldn't wait to give it to him! But what he found wasn't Ventus excited to see him. He walked up on a sparring match. So he sat to see how much his brother's skills had grown in the last year.

It was disappointing.

What had Ventus been doing all year? He was a total amateur! Maybe he was just holding back to make the Masters-to-be more confident before their test. Yeah, that had to be it. Sweet little Ventus giving his friends a nice little confidence boost so they wouldn't be so nervous. As their match ended, Vanitas walked over, but was completely ignored just shy of speaking when the woman, Aqua, pulled out 3 charms and walked to the two boys. They were made of beautiful stained glass and silver, she said something about a fruit that intertwined people's destinies, and that these charms would keep them together forever. No matter what happened. A jealous nausea settled over Vanitas. He looked down at his own crudely forged gift. It was ugly compared to the woman's charms. And just from the magic she had done in their sparring match, whatever magic she infused in those charms was probably much better than anything he could do. But even that wasn't what broke him. Sure he wasn't as good as this almost Master, it was disappointing, but acceptable. She was older and more experienced. No what broke Vani to pieces was when the woman left and Ventus was left with a tall, muscular male only a little older than himself.

"Good luck, I know you'll do well," Ventus said with a blush, and he stood on his toes to kiss the male on the mouth. It was short, but it was all it took to break Vanitas' heart. He couldn't explain why it hurt so bad, his love for Ventus was familial, not romantic. But it felt like somehow he had been replaced. Replaced by a woman who was a better mage and a man who was a better fighter. And the man was obviously much closer to Ven than Vani had ever been or ever could be. It felt like a door was slammed in his face that no amount of strength could break through.

Later, Vani approached Ventus during the Exam, while neither of them were allowed in the Castle. Ventus didn't recognize him! Vanitas got within feet of him, called him by name, and Ventus couldn't recognize the other half of his own heart?! It made Vani's blood boil, so he crushed the stupid keychain he made and left to go sulk about how unfair the whole situation was.

Even then, Vani tried to tell himself he was being stupid. Of course a cute, generous guy like Ventus would have tons of friends and even a boyfriend. He shouldn't feel betrayed and he knew it. Ventus had done nothing wrong, just moved on with his life when he had no memory of the one before it. But then it clicked. This was always how it had been, always how it would be. Ventus was attractive, his bright eyes and blond hair, the light that shown within. Vanitas had been out hadn't he? He went to the festival, he had snuck away from the castle a few times to see worlds he read about in books, and he had made no friends. He had been around Xehanort all this time, who had gone so far as to use a younger form so they could spar and have fun together. Vanitas was obviously attracted to his Master, but he had gotten nowhere closer to getting the other to want him back. He understood that he wasn't jealous Ventus had other friends than him, he was jealous that Ventus had friends when he didn't. Ventus always had what he could never reach. They _were_ two sides of a coin, but it wasn't heads and tails or Yin and Yang, they didn't work in harmony together, they worked against eachother. They were light and darkness, good and evil, and if Vanitas was darkness, then only in the darkness could he prosper and be happy. That's when he realized that Xehanort's plan was the best plan, he realized he really did hate Ventus, and he realized that he was going to get what he wanted, what he _needed_ , no matter what the cost.

It was an added bonus when getting Xehanort the fresh new body he needed meant taking away Ventus' boyfriend.

 **A/N: Welp... Xehanort's plan worked. He needed to make the boys hate eachother, and he got just what he wanted. Probably going to skip to the end of BBS next chapter, don't really need to tell everyone what they already know happened. Just start after Vani and Ventus fight and show where Vanitas went after everything that happened. Sorry I had to hurt Vani right here, but he'll get better eventually.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Well I tried to offer my piggy bank to Square Enix but the regretfully told me it was only enough to buy a book off Yen Sid's Shelf. So I still don't own the rights to Kingdom Hearts, but I'll keep saving up and make Meow Wow's a key part in the rest of the series!**

 **Xehanort's POV 16 Months ago:**

Xehanort had been worried when Ventus and Vanitas had decided to team up. This was not in the plan, and Xehanort didn't like things that he couldn't control. Just yesterday everything had been going so well, why did it have to fall apart like this: with two beat up apprentices setting aside their differences to mutiny against him. They were going to ruin everything! There was no other option... he'd have to kill them both and start over. It had been such a hassle to split a heart in two. But it couldn't be helped, Ventus wouldn't turn his back on Vanitas again, and Vanitas would no longer blame Ventus for his shitty life here. Unless... it would take a lot of work to make Vanitas hate Ventus again, but it would be simple to restore Ventus' innocence, a simple memory swipe and stick him with Terra and Aqua, they would teach him to be just as kind hearted and naive as they were, and Eraqus could train him up to fight Vanitas... this was going to complicate things and slow down his plans, but not nearly as much as starting over with a new apprentice would.

He waited until both boys were asleep before sneaking into the room, they were curled up against each other breathing softly. It was cute, but could not sway a heart darkened to the extent that Xehanort's was. It would take a lot more than that to make him think twice about his sadistic plans. He scooped up the innocent blond gingerly and cast a sleeping spell on both boys to keep them from stirring when separated. Vanitas clutched at the nearest pillow and pulled it close in his sleep, then settled back into a peaceful slumber as Xehanort took his light side away.

A memory curse was complicated and forbidden magic, only to be used in dire circumstances with the approval of other Keyblade Masters. But that never deterred the epitome of Darkness before. He laid the small boy on the ground in the west wing and went about gathering the materials. He needed the curse to strengthen over time, there was no way he could keep the boys from meeting forever, and if Ventus suddenly remembered everything right when they were about to fight to the death, it could mean the end of everything Xehanort had worked for. The potion took the heart of a cat, several herbs, hair of the victim, and the caster's blood. Quite a bit of it. Luckily most everything necessary was right in the room. There were dried up hearts in jars in one cabinet, every herb needed in another; it required another sleeping spell to remove enough of Ventus' hair to work, and the blood was poured in last from several cuts all over Xehanort's body. The amount of MP spent on casting the curse was enormous, almost too much for even Xehanort, but by the time the sun rose, it was complete. Next was to dispose of the boy.

A dark corridor took him to the Land of Departure, and the old man drug the both of them up to the summit. Two apprentices ran up when they saw him, the male taking the unconscious boy and the female running to get Eraqus. Terra took Ventus inside and Xehanort followed to wait in the grand hall for his old companion. Eraqus rushed down and gave Xehanort a mistrusting glance even as the old man was covered in wounds and looked exhausted.

"What happened to you and your apprentice?" He asked cautiously.

"Unversed... big ones. I thought I could fight them off but when my apprentice got hurt, I had to get him out of there," Xehanort said weakly, "I took a beating but I'll be ok, but my back... it just isn't strong enough anymore. I can't train the boy in only magic, and I can no longer swing a keyblade... would you please take care of him? I know he has potential, and if anyone can train him to live up to that potential, it's you Eraqus."

Eraqus still looked suspicious, he hadn't fully trusted Xehanort for years, but he couldn't see any harm in taking over the boy's training. So he agreed.

"They nearly got his heart, I'm not sure it made it all back... he should wake up, he is still breathing, I just... I don't know what the side effects might be, no one has ever had half their heart stolen," Xehanort pondered. That should explain what Eraqus would no doubt notice: that Ventus only had half a heart. And it should explain the memory loss as well, after all no one could say that it _wouldn't_ be a side effect.

With Ventus taken care of, Xehanort returned to his Castle to deal with the other traitor, only to find that he could spin even Vanitas' rebellion to his own advantage.

 **Present:**

Xehanort was thrilled at the anger and betrayal emanating from Vanitas when he left the Mark of Mastery Exam. The exam had gone perfectly, as had his meeting with Eraqus about the unversed. But everything out here had evolved in his favor without him having to do anything to make it happen. He wasn't sure what happened, but he was pleased with the results. When he took Vanitas home, Vani immediately drew his keyblade.

"Fight me, Master, and don't hold back!" It was a snarl full of hatred and anger that obviously Vanitas needed to get out through violence. But getting it out and letting it go wouldn't do anything good for Xehanort's plan.

"No, not today. I am very tired from everything today, let's just go watch a movie and relax," his tone seemed nonchalant but the look he gave his apprentice when they made eye contact made it clear that that was an order and Vanitas was not allowed to disobey.

Vanitas dropped his weapon and followed Xehanort while all the rage within seethed and fermented inside of him.


End file.
